


Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH): Rhodey and Valor

by literally_no_idea



Series: Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH) Main Series [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Disabled Character, Disabled Character of Color, Gen, Physical Disability, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, SDfSH 'verse, Service Animals, Service Dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 06:04:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17954993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literally_no_idea/pseuds/literally_no_idea
Summary: Natasha talks to Tony about getting Rhodey a service dog, because she knows that Tony’s closest to him and cares the most about him. Tony positively lights up when she asks, and he offers to help her pick and train the dog. “Don’t tell Rhodes though,” he says, “Trust me, he’ll overthink it otherwise.” Despite Natasha’s possibly better judgement, she decides to go ahead and trust Tony, and they start working together to find the perfect dog for Rhodey.





	Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH): Rhodey and Valor

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to the series, or if you're new here, welcome!

Natasha talks to Tony about getting Rhodey a service dog, because she knows that Tony’s closest to him and cares the most about him. Tony positively lights up when she asks, and he offers to help her pick and train the dog. “Don’t tell Rhodes though,” he says, “Trust me, he’ll overthink it otherwise.” Despite Natasha’s possibly better judgement, she decides to go ahead and trust Tony, and they start working together to find the perfect dog for Rhodey.

 

Rhodey actually has one of the shortest lists of needs out of the whole group. Rhodey needs mobility support (“the prosthetics I made still aren’t perfect, and it can be painful for him to walk a lot,” Tony tells Natasha), and he has PTSD from the military, but that’s where the list ends. While it’s still disabling, it’s certainly one of the easier task lists Natasha’s worked on recently.

 

The next step is finding the right breed of dog, and Tony beats Natasha to it. “Look,” he says one day in the communal living room, sliding her his tablet with a picture of a gorgeous fawn colored dog, standing tall and proud. “Anatolian Shepherd. They’re a local breeder. AKC registered dogs, and they’ve just had puppies. Size should check out, and the price doesn’t matter. There’s still a couple puppies up for grabs, and I bet we could get it arranged to get the one we want.”

 

Natasha nods. “Alright. When can we go look at the puppies?”

 

Tony checks the time, then stands up. “Right now. Let’s go, we can take my Mercedes.” When Natasha gives him a look, Tony shrugs. “What? Why should I wait when I have the chance to get my best friend more of the help he deserves?”

 

Deciding that she’d better go with him in case Tony just goes anyway and picks a dog that won’t be suitable, she grabs her coat and follows him into the elevator and down to Tony’s garage.

 

* * *

 

At the breeder’s place, Natasha shows Tony how to test the puppies’ temperaments, and he learns quickly, immediately taking on the challenge of testing two of the five puppies that they’ve decided might be good candidates. It’s a big litter; ten puppies total, and half of them seem like good candidates, which is genuinely impressive to Natasha. This is a good breeder, and a good litter. She might have to keep this breeder’s contact information in case they know people for other breeds she might want in the future.

 

Of the three puppies Natasha works with, one seems like a decent candidate after further tests, and Tony holds up both of his two as possible candidates. They switch puppies, and eliminate one of Tony’s puppies, leaving just two. The final test, walking away from the puppies, proves Tony’s puppy to be the better candidate, and they tell the breeder, who refuses Tony’s money when he goes to pay for the dog.

 

“Thanks to you and War Machine, my family is safe,” the breeder tells them, “my daughter loves technology, and she was at the Stark Expo during the mess with those evil drones. She told me later that you and Colonel Rhodes lured them away from the Expo, and if you hadn’t both put your lives on the line, she might not be alive today. Consider this my thanks for your help.”

 

Tony still tries to offer the woman money, but Natasha just thanks her and drags Tony out of the house and back into his car. “Look, this is her way of saying thank you. It will make her feel better knowing that she didn’t take your money, no matter how much you’d like to give it to her. Just let her have that, okay?”

 

Tony begrudgingly agrees, and they drive home, and if Natasha sees a story on the news about a sudden donation to a local school’s STEM program on the condition that they support female students interested in the program, she pretends it’s a coincidence.

 

* * *

 

Training goes smoothly, and Tony invests almost as much time into training the pup as Natasha does. He chooses the puppy’s name (“Valor,” Tony says, “because Rhodey still hangs out with a lot of his old military buddies and his dog needs to sound cool if he’s gonna be working with War Machine. Besides,” Tony says more quietly, “if there’s any one trait Rhodey embodies most, it’s valor.”), and works with Natasha on all of Valor’s training, going as far as asking Natasha how and why she trains certain tasks in certain ways, and if Valor’s training is different from Diva’s.

 

Tony also makes Valor custom service dog gear as he grows, each piece of gear just as fancy and well-made as the last. Natasha tries to convince him that it’s not necessary, because Valor will grow out of the gear anyway, but Tony insists, and he seems so happy by the prospect of customizing gear that Natasha’s not willing to take that away from him.

 

In the process, Tony ends up making an entire production room for service dog gear (“because it’s different from making technology,” according to Tony), and he starts to go all out in customizing the other dogs’ gear too, asking Clint, Bruce, and Bucky for their opinions on some upgrades to each of their sets of gear.

 

As he makes more gear, he also starts making gear organizers for each team to use, and Natasha almost wants to roll her eyes at how far Tony is already taking his commitment to this idea. However, Natasha has to admit that the gear is not only unique, but it’s high quality and suits each team perfectly. (She’d also be lying if she said that Valor’s “Dog Bless America” patch wasn’t pretty funny. Not that she’d ever admit that to Tony.)

 

* * *

 

When Valor is ready to be introduced to Rhodey, Natasha has Tony invite him to the tower for dinner, and when Rhodey accepts, they decide they’ll explain to him after dinner.

 

Rhodey fits in well with the rest of the team, even though he clearly feels a bit out of his league when everyone’s sharing funny battle and mission stories, and dinner goes well. When everyone starts to leave the table and head off to their own floors for bed, Tony pulls Rhodey aside and asks him to stay for a moment while Natasha brings him his surprise.

 

“A surprise?” Rhodey asks, eyebrows furrowed. “Tony, please tell me you didn’t do something stupid.”

 

“No, of course not! Well, I hope not. I don’t think so? Actually, I’m starting to have second thoughts,” he says, and Rhodey shakes his head.

 

“Well, if Natasha’s involved, hopefully it’s reasonable,” Rhodey says as Natasha brings Valor down the hall from the “dog living room” Tony had created (“What? The dogs deserve to have a calm space to relax,” Tony had argued when everyone had looked at him weird.), and Valor trots by her side wearing his red biothane harness and blue velcro cape, the cape covered in the patches Tony had made for him; “Dog Bless America.” “Working Service Dog, Do Not Pet.” “Mobility Assistance Dog.” “PTSD Service Dog.” “Serving Those Who Served.”

 

Natasha brings Valor to a stop, holding a stand-stay directly in front of Rhodey. Tony speaks first. “Rhodey, this is Valor. Natasha and I trained him for you. Uh, he’s your service dog. If you want him. I mean, yeah,” Tony finishes quietly, looking more and more fidgety by the moment. Diva pads up behind him, nudging Tony’s hip with his nose until Tony starts to pet him.

 

“Tones, this is… amazing. I… Thank you.” There’s so much sincerity in Rhodey’s voice that Tony actually looks surprised. “And you too, Natasha. Thank you.”

 

“Of course. Well, shall we show you what he can do? I can demonstrate, if you’d like,” Natasha says, and Rhodey nods. “Okay. so, if you’re having a hard time standing, or going up or down stairs, he has a command so that he squares his shoulders and you can put your weight on the handle safely for a moment. Like this. Valor, brace,” Natasha says, and Valor squares off his body. Natasha grabs the handle of Valor’s mobility harness, pressing down gently.

 

Rhodey watches carefully, nodding. “So, how do I make sure he’s doing it right?” Natasha takes a moment to show Rhodey what to look for, already appreciative of Rhodey’s concern for Valor’s health and safety.

 

“You can also use the other handle just to rest your hand on without pushing down, if you’re just a little unsteady on your feet and need some help balancing. He also has a few different commands for PTSD. He’ll alert to panic attacks, help ground you if you’re dissociating or having a flashback, and he can summon help by barking or by using one of the buttons I’ve installed around the tower. Pretty ingenious on my part, I’d say,” Tony adds, and that makes Rhodey laugh.

 

“Yeah, okay. Anything else?”

 

Natasha answers this time. “He can block around you to keep people back, and he can check a room for threats before you enter the room. Here, like this. Valor, block.” Valor stands between Natasha and both Tony and Rhodey, his left side pressed against the front of Natasha’s legs. “Or, if you need him to watch behind you: Valor, cover me.” Valor walks behind Natasha, facing out behind her and moving his head side to side.

 

“He won’t actually hurt anyone, he’s just looking around, but it looks protective. And if you’re entering a room and worried about threats: Valor, check?” Natasha points toward the kitchen, and Valor walks to the kitchen doorway, looks around the room, then comes back over to Natasha, bumping her hand gently. “If he bumps your hand, it’s safe. How are you feeling about all of this?”

 

Rhodey shrugs. “I don’t… this was unexpected. But I do need it. I’ve been… I haven’t been doing so great lately. I could use the help. Are you sure he’ll enjoy working with me?”

 

“Why don’t we find out? Give him the command ‘heel,’ then do whatever you want. Walk around with him, test his other commands,” Natasha suggests.

 

Rhodey looks hesitant, but he nods anyway. “Okay. Valor, heel,” he says, and Valor walks over to him, turning so he’s on Rhodey’s right, facing the same direction. “Valor, block.” Valor steps in front of Rhodey, his side pressed gently against Rhodey’s legs. “Heel.” Valor turns, stepping back into a heel at Rhodey’s side.

 

Tony grins. “See? A natural. You both work together perfectly! I was right. This was a good idea. It wasn’t stupid. Right?”

 

Rhodey lets out an exasperated sigh, but nods. “Yeah, this was a good idea. Thanks again. Both of you.”

 

“Anything for you, honey bear,” Tony says, “now let’s get moving! We’ve got to get dog food into your car. And bowls. And other dog stuff. Come on!” Tony starts walking towards the elevator without bothering to get a reply, and Rhodey looks over at Natasha.

 

“Do we follow him?” he asks, and Natasha laughs.

 

“Is it ever up to us?”

 

“No, not usually.” Rhodey and Natasha walk to the elevator together, Valor heeling comfortably at Rhodey’s side. “Really though. Thank you, Natasha.”

 

Natasha shakes her head. “It’s no problem. I mean, after Clint got Lucky…” she shrugs. “It just seemed right. To try and help everyone.”

 

“Still,” Rhodey says as the elevator starts down to the garage, “You didn’t have to think of me, but you did. I appreciate that.”

 

For once, Natasha doesn’t actually know what to say, so she just nods, and the rest of the time they spend loading Rhodey’s car she just listens to Tony and Rhodey talk. As she and Tony watch Rhodey drive away, she thinks about what Rhodey said. Maybe she doesn’t have to do this. But she wants to. She’s not sure what to think about that, so she just puts the thought aside, instead thinking about the next person on her list. This will be interesting.

**Author's Note:**

> Your service dog facts for the day:
> 
> -Training a service dog generally takes about two years. This can obviously vary from dog to dog, but that's a good rule of thumb. You can, technically, have a dog trained in about six months. However, for most dogs, two years will produce the best, most consistent results. This also will vary based on the age of the dog when they start training, and if they have any behaviors you have to untrain (such as training a dog not to beg for food at the table, or training a dog to not bark at cats, etc)
> 
> -In this story, Valor is trained to hold a stand stay whenever his handler stops walking. Depending on the service dog, they might be trained to hold a different position when their handler stops. Many service dogs are taught to sit when their handler stops walking. I chose for Valor to stand, because as a mobility assistance dog for Rhodey, he may need to brace or provide other mobility assistance tasks while staying in one place, and I think standing would be the best option for him.
> 
> -The command "cover me" is used in this story; this is a task that is sometimes used by people with PTSD to help them feel safer when doing something that requires their full attention and leaves them feeling vulnerable to attack. The dog is trained to stand behind the handler and move their head side to side. This means that the dog is NOT being trained to be aggressive or protective; it simply gives the illusion of protection.
> 
> -I'm going to emphasize that you should never, EVER train a service dog to be aggressive, and a service dog should never act or react aggressively. This is the number one reason that a dog will be "washed out" or "career changed" from service dog work. There is a term sometimes used in service dog communities called "bombproofing." Bombproofing refers to training a dog to react calmly in any and every situation you can possibly prepare for. This includes everything from people screaming to loud noises to children pulling on your dog's ears to your dog's tail being stepped on. You want your dog to be able to work as best as possible no matter the conditions. Service dog communities wholeheartedly follow the "Murphy's Law" mentality of "everything that can go wrong, WILL go wrong."
> 
> With all that being said, here's a few videos I think are super helpful for training some of the things I've mentioned in this chapter! (Edit: if you saw this story when it was first posted, you may remember that the video links in these notes were originally to the Youtube channel PawsandLove. Jaye, the owner of that channel, recently deleted the videos on that channel, so I have changed the links to different videos instead.)
> 
> A great video by Trained and Maintained Service Dogs on Youtube shows you how to teach "block," and can be found [ here ](https://youtu.be/yUwbhms81sQ)
> 
> A great video by Service Dog Sulley explains safety for mobility service dogs, and can be found [ here ](https://youtu.be/BYhIoR0-08M)
> 
> You can find a list of common work/tasks for Psychiatric Service Dogs [ here ](https://www.psychdogpartners.org/resources/work-tasks/work-task-list)
> 
> If you want to talk to me about this series, or you want to see some of my other drabbles and notes about this series, you can find me on tumblr [ here ](https://servicedogsforsuperheroes.tumblr.com)
> 
> And if you're enjoying this series, stick around! Steve Rogers is up next.


End file.
